As someone who once stood and bowed to applause in the shoes of a young theater actor, Daniel Connelly is elated to encourage kids to have that same exhilarating experience.

"It's just as exciting for the actor as it is for the audience," Connelly said. "There's nothing like the sound of a thunderous applause."

Connelly, who heads the drama, speech and music department at LAM Christian Academy, was active with Christian Youth Theater North Idaho when he was a teen. Drama summer camp was a special time in his life.

"That's when I fell in love with theater," he said. "Now I work hard at it trying to inspire other kids to love it, too."

Connelly and his team will be leading drama camps this summer for kids and teens ages 5 to 18. They'll provide opportunities for aspiring thespians to participate in water games, improv games, team building, singing, dancing, and, of course, acting.

At the end of each week, the campers will participate in a short production complete with costumes, microphones and lights, and all of the actors will have memorized lines.

"The thing I love most about theater is the confidence it builds," Connelly said. "I've taught a lot of homeschooled kids and they have a tendency to be shy. As I've taught these classes through the years, I've seen them blossom into perfectly confident young adults, and I've seen it happen time and time again."

Not only will the kids work on their acting chops, they'll also have a social summer experience and make new friends.

"Kids bond when they're all working on something together," Connelly said. "That's another thing that theater can do — give kids something to bond over."

"Treasure Island The Musical" Camp will begin Monday and go through July 19. "Mary Poppins: The Musical" Camp will be Aug. 19 to 23.

The camps are $150 each and will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at LAM Christian Academy, 4800 N. Ramsey Road, Coeur d’Alene.

Two workshops will also be held this summer. The slapstick comedy workshop, featuring lessons on how to create comedy through actions (think the Three Stooges), will be July 26. Improvisation, which teaches on-the-spot acting, will be Aug. 16. Each workshop is $25 per person and will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at LAM.

Visit connellyenterprises.weebly.com for details and registration forms.

Email registration to [email protected] or mail to 4800 N. Ramsey Road, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815.